Magic Meets Love
by The Passionate Admiral
Summary: My first CATS fanfic- Something wonderful happens to Mistoffelees and Victoria. When Macavity learns of it, he plans a sinister plot. This one's for all of you who, like me, believe that Misto and Vickie are mates and not siblings.
1. Something Wonderful

Magic Meets Love

Author: The Passionate Admiral

Rating: K+

Disclaimer: I do not own CATS. But I wish I did, as it is my absolute favorite musical of all time. Besides, if I did own CATS, Quaxo would be the one that performs the Mating Dance with Victoria during the Jellicle Ball, not Plato. That way, there would be no more of that stupid "Quaxo and Victoria are siblings" crap. (I still respect your opinion if you believe the two of them are siblings, but in my opinion, they make up the greatest pairing in the entire musical)

Plot (I'll keep it slightly ambiguous so I won't give any spoilers): Something very special happens to Mistoffelees and Victoria. I am one of the people who believe that Victoria and Mistoffelees are mates, not siblings. In fact, in my opinion, they're the best pairing in the entire musical! Anyway, this fanfic is for all of you "mates" fans.

Quaxo Mistoffelees was giving a special performance of his magical abilities in the center of the junkyard. The entire Jellicle Tribe had assembled to watch him.

Misto only performed for the entire tribe four times a year; once for each season. This was the spring performance. Just as before, he deeply impressed his fellow Jellicle cats with his tricks. The one that was most impressed was his mate, Victoria, who sat in the front row during his entire performance.

He neared the end of his presentation and prepared to wrap it up with a bang.

"And now I come to my final trick." he announced. "As always, I save the best for last. For this trick, I'll need a little assistance from a member of the audience."

Most of the kittens raised their paws in the air gleefully, as did a few of the younger adult cats; though the adult cats did not volunteer with as much glee as the kittens.

After a moment of deliberation, Quaxo pointed into the crowd with his front paw and said "Rum Tum Tugger! Come on up!"

Rum Tum Tugger sat in the center of the crowd. He just had his front legs folded and was smirking at Bombalurina. But when he heard his name, he focused his attention towards the pile of junk Quaxo was perched on top of. Everybody in the audience turned toward Tugger, waiting for him to respond.

"You've got to be kidding me, Misto." he shot at the young magician.

"You know I rarely kid, Tugger." Misto leered.

"I thought you said I was a 'terrible bore.'" Tugger recalled.

"Yeah, like eight months ago." Misto commented.

"Tugger, just get on the junk pile." Munkustrap induced his younger brother.

After a short session of arguing with the other cats, Tugger rolled his eyes and said "Fine. I'll join Misto in his last trick just so that the rest of you will shut up."

The kittens giggled at Tugger's witty remark as he stood up and joined Quaxo on his pile of junk.

Once he was at the top of the pile with Quaxo, he said "Let's get this over with."

A wicked grin fell across Mistoffelees' face. He picked out a rusted razor from the junk pile and held it in his right paw. He turned to the audience and announced "When I give you the signal, everybody close your eyes for exactly half a second!"

Soon, everybody was ready. Misto told them "Now!"

Everybody in the audience closed their eyes for half one second. When they opened their eyes, they saw an extremely humorous sight. Rum Tum Tugger's entire mane had been shaved off in less than one second!

Rum Tum Tugger was screaming at the top of his lungs. The loss of his mane was almost too much for him to bear. The kittens all pointed and laughed. The adult cats soon joined in. Even Munkustrap, the ever serious Jellicle Protector, could not help snickering a bit. His brother looked absolutely ridiculous without his mane.

Tugger glared at Mistoffelees with a look that said "I'm going to kill you."

But before he could fulfill that notion, Misto raised his paw in the air and zapped Tugger with a bolt of light from his paw. For a split-second, Tugger was encompassed in a bright light. But when the light lifted, his mane had completely grown back. He felt it to make sure it was real, and when he discovered that it was, he sighed in relief.

Misto held his paws out to Tugger, turned to the audience, and announced "Let's hear it for the Rum Tum Tugger, my dear queens and toms!"

Everybody in the audience clapped their paws as Tugger bounced off the junk pile and returned to his spot in the audience.

Mistoffelees bowed to the spectators and told them "Thank you very much! You have been a wonderful audience!"

Tugger stood up and began "And we all say..."

The rest of the audience joined him "Oh, well! I never! Was there ever a cat so clever as magical Mr. Mistoffelees?"

They repeated this chorus twice. While they did, Misto maneuvered around in front of them and hit various objects with bolts of light.

Once the chorus had been sung for the third time, everybody prepared to leave.

Mistoffelees came down and made his way towards Victoria.

As he walked, Quaxo's best friend, Plato, came over to him and they walked side-by-side. Plato patted him on the back and told him "Good job, Misto. That was a performance to remember."

Mistoffelees nodded, saying "Thanks , Plato. I always try my best to achieve a memorable performance."

One thing that Plato and Quaxo had in common was Victoria. At the last Jellicle Ball, which took place eight months earlier, she had come of age. Plato had performed the Mating Dance with her at that Jellicle Ball. They had not planned to do it with each other originally. Just a couple weeks beforehand, Plato had been involved with Electra, a tomboy-like kitten who was Misto's cousin. Victoria has also been involved with Mistoffelees. But at the worst possible time, both pairs had gotten into a personal argument and decided to part ways. They decided to use each other to get back at their former lovers (both toms performed the dance with the queen they had not been involved with and vice versa), but that plan had badly backfired. Just a few hours later, they all decided to reconcile with their previous lovers and get back together.

Eight months later- which came out to the present- Victoria would be giving her mate important news.

"I gotta go." Plato left his best friend to meet up with his younger brother Admetus.

Misto approached Victoria and together they walked back to their den. Once there, they got settled and rested on their bed.

Victoria sat up straight and turned to Quaxo. She had been waiting to speak to him all night, and now she finally had the opportunity.

Misto looked at his mate and asked her "Is there something on your mind, Victoria?"

"Sweetie…" she began with a note of excitement in her voice, "there's something I have to tell you."

Misto sat up straight and asked her "What would that be?"

"I'll give you a clue: it's something that we've been hoping would happen for a long time." Victoria hinted.

"The Rumpus Cat's identity has been discovered?" said Misto.

"No." she answered.

"Gus managed to find a play that he was fit to act in?" he asked.

"No." his mate replied.

"Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer gave up stealing?" Misto guessed.

"Now that would never happen." Victoria told him. "But what I have to say is even better."

Mistoffelees guessed a few more things, and finally he gave up. He was supposedly the most clever cat that ever existed, and yet he couldn't even tell what his mate was planning on telling him.

"Vickie, please, what is it?" he asked.

She smiled lovingly at her mate and told him "We're going to have kittens."

Mistoffelees felt a rush of emotions surging through him. He looked deeply in Victoria's eyes and said "You mean-"

She nodded and whispered into his ear "I'm pregnant."

Mistoffelees did not move or breathe for about twenty seconds. Then he gave a shriek of delight and wrapped his front legs around Victoria. He lifted her up off her feet and danced with her in his arms around their den. She laughed playfully as he did so.

Finally, Misto put Victoria down and told her "Oh, Vickie, I am just so happy right now."

Victoria told him "So am I."

Then she kissed him right on the lips. He joined in and hugged her in return. Tears of joy started falling from Misto's eyes as he embraced his mate. More tears of joy fell from Victoria's eyes in just the same amount.

Within nine weeks, their den would be getting very busy.


	2. Letting Everybody Know

Mistoffelees woke up bright and early the next day. He turned and gazed lovingly at his mate. She was still soundly sleeping, lying spread out on the bed. Misto delicately stroked her fur, his eyes focused on her chest. He still could not believe that he and Victoria were going to become parents.

Soon, Victoria woke up. She stretched her arms over her head and yawned. She noticed her mate was already up and she smiled at him.

"Ready to start the day, _Mommy_?" he asked her.

"As ready as I'll ever be, _Daddy_." she replied.

The two of them helped themselves to their breakfast and left the den. They had made a plan to let the rest of the tribe know the good news as soon as possible. They decided to start with Victoria's parents first.

Conveniently, the couple found both of them near the entrance to the junkyard. Victoria's mother, Jennyanydots, was giving a dance lesson to a group of mice and her father, Skimbleshanks, had just returned from his midnight shift on the Night Mail.

The two of them soon noticed their elder daughter approaching with her mate at her side.

"Good morning, Victoria." Jenny greeted her daughter warmly.

"Good morning to you, too, mother." Victoria replied.

"That was a good show you pulled last night, Quaxo." Skimble told the magical cat.

"Thanks, Skimble." said Mistoffelees. "I imagine that that little stunt I pulled on Rum Tum Tugger won't be one that he'll soon forget."

The Gumbie Cat and the Railway Cat nodded in agreement.

"Is there something we can do for you?" inquired Jenny.

Victoria and Mistoffelees looked at each other. Then they turned back to the former's parents. Mistoffelees was the one who delivered the news: "Victoria and I wanted to let you know… you're going to become grandparents again." (Note: I'll explain the 'again' part later)

Skimble and Jenny were a little confused at first, but when Misto put his paw over Victoria's lower chest, they immediately realized what he meant.

Jennyanydots put her paws to her mouth and said ecstatically "Oh, Victoria, that's wonderful!"

Skimbleshanks grinned and told them "Congratulations. Quite frankly, I've been waiting for this to happen for a long time. Almost too long, if you ask me."

Jenny swatted her mate on the back and said rather sternly "Skimble!"

"Relax, Jenny, I'm kiddin'." Skimble reassured his mate. "Truthfully, I am really looking forward to becoming a grandparent for the second time."

"As am I." The two of them gave their daughter a zealous hug and went back to their business. Misto and Victoria headed back into the junkyard a moment later.

Unfortunately, Quaxo did not have the same privilege of telling his own parents about his mate's pregnancy. His mother had died when he was very young, and his father had long ago abandoned the tribe. So they decided to let Quaxo's older brother, Alonzo, know the news next.

Alonzo was the third-in-command of the tribe, after Munkustrap and Old Deuteronomy. The position had been given to him by his uncle and grandfather shortly after he had come of age. Ever since then he had made his best effort to fulfill his duties, and he had done an exceptional job.

Months earlier, Alonzo had an infamous reputation of being one of the more flirtatious members of the Jellicle Tribe. He had actually gone after Victoria before even Plato had. But that relationship quickly ended. He then tried Jemima, Victoria's little sister, but she was much too young for him. Finally, he became mates with Cassandra.

Victoria and Mistoffelees found Alonzo on patrol duty near the center of the junkyard. When they told him they were expecting, he squealed like an idiot and said "All right! I'm going to be an uncle! Congrats, Misto!"

"Thanks, 'Lonz." said Mistoffelees. "How're Cassandra and the kits doing?"

"They're doing great," a look of concern suddenly came across Alonzo's face. He asked his younger brother "Have you already told anybody else about… this?" he gestured to Victoria's abdomen.

"Just Skimble and Jenny." Quaxo answered. "Why? Why do you ask?"

"Well, I was just thinking back to what happened only a few days before Cassandra and I had our first litter." Alonzo told him nervously.

Misto raised his paw, indicating that Alonzo need not saw anything more. He was still spooked by that memory of his father. His father did not show his face for a moment that night, but he had presented an ominous threat to the Tribe. He had said "Hear me out! Within a week's time, my firstborn son Alonzo will be having his first litter with his mate. I will do no harm to this litter. But I will come for the next litter of my grandchildren. If I am not afforded the right of being a part of my grandchildren's lives, then their parents will be denied that right."

"I had completely forgotten about that." said Misto, suddenly becoming very worried for Victoria and their unborn kittens. "I hope the tribe will be able to fend him off should he come around again."

"Well, if Dad knows what's good for him, he'll stay away from the tribe." said Alonzo. "He pulled the last straw when he kidnapped Grandpa and tried to kidnap Demeter. And you have my word, Quaxo; as long as I am the third-in-command of this tribe, I will protect you, Victoria, and your kittens from anything that may pose a threat, including our father."

"Thanks, 'Lonz." said Quaxo. "How about you join us for lunch later? You could bring Cassandra, Lomfer, and Watlina."

"That would sound good." said Alonzo. "I had a relatively small breakfast this morning; I wouldn't mind having lunch later on."

"Then we'll expect you in our den at around twelve-thirty." said Victoria.

Alonzo nodded at her and returned to patrol duty.

The next person they told was Victoria's little sister, Jemima. Jemima, like her parents and Alonzo, was very happy for Victoria and Quaxo. The idea of being an aunt delighted her. She herself had just recently come of age, and she was involved with Tumblebrutus, who was a few months older than her.

One-by-one, the expectant couple told the rest of the Tribe about their approaching parenthood. Every single member of the tribe was happy for them and wished them the best of luck.

Some of the cats wasted no time in playing a role in Misto and Victoria's impending parenthood. Jellylorum, Demeter, and a few other mothers in the tribe were providing Victoria with all sorts of tips for how she should be eating and how she should care for her body for the duration of her pregnancy.

Some of the more mischievous cats like Pouncival, Electra, and Tumblebrutus started a poll. The participants in the said poll would take a guess at how many kittens Victoria would have, and perhaps predict their genders as well.

"I bet that she will have three kits," Etcetera guessed, "Two queens and one tom."

"Nah, I think that she'll have five," Asparagus countered, "there will be three queens and two toms."

"What do you think, Coricopat?" Pouncival asked one of the twins.

"If you ask me, Victoria will give birth to two kits- both toms." said Coricopat.

"Tantomile, what are your thoughts on this matter?" inquired Electra.

"I agree with whatever Cori said." answered Tantomile.

Tumblebrutus sighed and said "Oh, Tanto. You always have to agree with your brother on everything."

"That's what twins of our type do, Tumble." said Coricopat.

For every day that passed, Victoria was a little less able to contain her excitement. Mistoffelees was also very excited, but at the same time, he was a little concerned. He was concerned for the safety of his mate and their unborn kits. He could not shake the feeling that his father was going to come after the kittens eventually.

However, Quaxo was not going to let any harm come to his mate or kittens. There was not anyone who could separate him from Victoria, not even his father. But his father had always been a very unusual cat; for as the rest of the tribe was very fond of saying "There's no one like Macavity."


	3. Dinner And The Train

Note: I'm trying to incorporate parts of some of the play's songs into this story. Let me know how I do. If it seems at all tacky, I can revise it.

Three weeks passed from the night Victoria told Quaxo she was pregnant.

The Jellicle Tribe always looked forward to having new kittens come into their lives. The age at which Victoria was having her first litter was one of the youngest "first-time" ages in the history of the Jellicle Tribe. But all the same, her parents were happy for her and she had their full support.

Munkustrap and Rum Tum Tugger were both going to become Great-Uncles for the second time. Alonzo's children, naturally, had made them Great-Uncles the first time around.

Munkustrap and his mate Demeter only had one child- Electra. Even then, Tugger never had an official mate. But based on how popular he was with queens all over the town, one could assume that he may have been a father to kittens all over London.

Eight months earlier, Bombalurina had been Tugger's first choice for his actual mate. However, during the mating dance from the Jellicle ball of that same year, Bomba had choosen Pouncival to mate with her. That same night, she became official mates with him. Tugger simply acted indifferently to this event and agreed to end his relationship with Bomba. They still flirted ever now and then though, which Pouncival did not mind.

Pouncival and Bomba did not have kittens of their own yet, but they planned to try for some very soon.

Old Deuteronomy was very enthusiastic about becoming a great-grandparent for the second time as well. He especially admired his younger grandson's choice for whom to have as his mate. Victoria was perhaps the very symbol of innocence and kindness in the Jellicle Tribe.

For Victoria herself, the pregnancy was a little overwhelming.

Of course, as her mother and Jellylorum had well-emphasized, the first pregnancy is always the worst. Jelly recalled the time when she was expecting Tumblebrutus and Pouncival. She had forced her mate, Asparagus, to make a number of milk runs for her throughout the entire nine weeks. By the fourth week, Asparagus was looking forward to when the pregnancy would be over.

But later on, Jelly handled her second pregnancy much better when she was expecting Etcetera. She had learned from her prior experience what she had to do during the course of her second pregnancy. She was especially good at finding a way to control her odd food cravings and her morning sickness.

Victoria could handle her odd cravings. The worst part of pregnancy for her was the morning sickness.

One morning, Mistoffelees awoke to the sound of retching from outside the den. He got off the bed and went outside to found Victoria puking into a large hole on the ground.

"I take it that's the last time we eat over at Bombalurina's?" he joked.

"I don't think there was anything wrong with Bomba's food." said Victoria, straightening herself up. "There was probably just something wrong with when I chose to eat it."

"That could be it." Misto grinned. "Are you alright? Should I get Jelly or your mother?"

"No, I'm okay." Victoria assured him. She sat on the ground and told him "I just hope I can make it through six more weeks."

"Hey, it could be worse." Mistoffelees told his mate. "I hear that human women are pregnant not for nine weeks, but for nine **months**."

Victoria looked at Quaxo with a look of astonishment on her face. Then she said quietly "Nine… months?"

He nodded, and then added in "And most of the time, each of their pregnancies only produces one child apiece."

"I see." said Victoria.

Mistoffelees helped his mate up off the ground and the two of them returned to their den.

As they ate breakfast, Quaxo told Victoria "Tomorrow night I'm going to join your Dad when he goes on his midnight shift on the Night Mail."

"What for?" she asked.

"Well, I thought it might be helpful if he could give me some advice on fatherhood." Misto answered.

"And you think he's the best qualified person in the whole junkyard?" said Victoria.

"Well, he has certainly done a superb job bringing up his kits to be kind and respectable cats." Misto commented, smirking at Victoria.

She smiled at him and told him "Thank you, Quaxo."

The two of them looked at each other with a spark of love in their eyes. But Quaxo noticed a certain distinguished emotion in Victoria's eyes. When he asked her about it, she told him "Sometimes it's impossible to believe that you and Macavity are related. I mean, he's the monster of depravity, and you're perhaps the cleverest cat known to have existed."

Misto understood what she meant. But his father did not matter in the slightest to him. Alonzo, Victoria, and the rest of the Jellicle Tribe were more than a worthy substitute for his father. They were his real family; the family he loved and cared for and the family that loved and cared for him in return.

That night, Victoria had a girls' night out with her sister Jemima and their friends Electra and Etcetera.

Victoria was the oldest of the four of them, and the first one to have kittens. Electra was the second oldest, and her mate was Victoria's old flame, Plato. Electra was definitely the rowdiest of the group, and she was classified as "the tomboy" by her father and mother. Etcetera was the second youngest, and her mate was Admetus, Plato's younger brother. However, she was still the biggest fan of Rum Tum Tugger in the entire tribe. Finally, Jemima, the youngest of the group, was mates with Etcetera's brother, Tumblebrutus.

The three younger queens and their mates had all contemplated the idea of having kittens and when to try for them as well, but Victoria and Mistoffelees had been the first to go through with the idea.

The four of them were over at the den of Victoria's older sister Rumpleteazer and her mate Mungojerrie. At that time, both Mungo and Rumple were absent from the junkyard. They had told the four young queens that they were going to get dinner and they would be returning with it soon.

About five months earlier, Mungo and Rumple had kittens of their own: two tiger-striped toms named Harothenes and Sornetem, and one tiger-striped queen named Noremeda. They, like their parents, had a talent for pilfering. But they also had a code of stealing. For example, they, like their parents, never stole anything that belonged to another member of the tribe. (Author's Note: Remember in the previous chapter when Victoria told her parents that they were going to become grandparents "again?" Mungo and Rumple's kittens made them grandparents the first time, so that's the reason for the use of "again" there.)

While waiting on them to return, the four young queens chatted with each other.

At one point in their conversation, Etcetera turned to Victoria and told her "So, Vic, I'm curious-"

"Be careful with curiosity, Cetti." Electra warned Etcetera. "It's already killed enough of us as it is."

Jemima and Victoria laughed at Electra's comment. Soon Etcetera and Electra herself joined in. After the laughter subsided, Etcetera continued: "As I was saying, I'm curious."

"About what?" asked Victoria.

"Well…" Etcetera began, "how does it feel?"

"How does what feel?"

"How does it feel to be pregnant?"

Victoria was not sure how to answer this at first. She felt a variety of different qualities, emotional and physical. She described her experience as best as she could to her friends.

During her explanation, she paused and put her paw to her lower chest.

Jemima leaned over to her and asked her "Is everything alright, Vic?"

Victoria looked at her sister and nodded. "Yes, I'm fine, Jemmy. It's just that… I think I felt one of the kittens move."

Electra, Etcetera, and Jemima all rose and looked closely at Victoria's protruding belly. Jemima ran her paw over her sister's abdomen and asked her "Where? Where did you feel it?"

Victoria took her younger sister's paw in her hand and placed it over a certain part on her stomach. Sure enough, Jemima could feel something "knocking" against her sister's chest from the inside.

Victoria looked at her two friends and told them "'Lec, Cetty, you've got to feel this."

The two of them came over to Victoria and placed their paws on the same spot as Jemima. They felt the kitten move just as easily as she had.

"How does it feel, Vic?" asked Electra.

"It feels…" Victoria stuttered, "It feels… 'Lec, it feels wonderful."

Electra and the other two just smiled at the White Cat.

A moment later, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer had returned to the junkyard with their sons and daughter. Mungo and Rumple were hauling a large Argentine joint with the aid of Noremeda, their middle child and only daughter. Harothenes, their eldest child and first son, was lugging in some baked potatoes and Sornetem, their youngest child and second son, was bringing in some leafy greens.

"So'ry it took so long, guys." said Mungo. "Tha't last fam'ily took thei'r sweet time ta m'ake dinnah."

"Who were tonight's unfortunate victims?" asked Electra sarcastically.

"The Calhoun fam'ily." Rumple answered. "'ou shoulda seen te looks on thei'r faces."

Victoria rolled her eyes and said "We can always count on you two; when the family assembles for Sunday dinner…"

"Their minds made up that they won't get thinner." Electra finished for her.

Noremeda gestured around the makeshift table they had created from two tires and a large, thick piece of cardboard. She told everybody "An' look at ton'ight's sco're: A'rgentine joint…"

"Pota'toes," Harothenes added.

"And gr'eens," Sornetem finished.

Harothenes, Noremeda, and Sornetem had all inherited their parents' thick cockney English accents.

"Th'en t'he cook appea'red from be'hind the sc'enes." Rumple went on.

Mungo continued for his mate: "And 'e th'en said in a voice that w'as broken with sorr'ow, 'I'm af'raid you must wait an' 'ave dinnah tomorr'ow. The joint h'as gone from t'he oven like th'at!'"

"Then the family would say, 'It's that 'orrible cat!'" Etcetera and Jemima said in unison.

Mungo and Rumple nodded. Then everybody got settled and began eating. The joint and the potatoes were still plenty hot, and the greens had not wilted at all.

"You kn'ow, most of the fam'ilies are still jus' saying 'Was it Mungojeh'rie or Rumpleteaze'h?'." Sornetem told the queens. "It wou'd appea'r as though Haro, Nora, and I a're still unde'r the notice of most of 'em."

"In fact, I can on'ly recall one pe'son who knows about Sorn, Nora, and me." Harothenes recounted. "I bel'ieve th'at that man is Misteh Edw'ard Fletche'r."

"I th'ink you're r'ight," said Noredema. She said to the queens "I rem'ember 'im. You shou'd h'ave se'en the look on 'is face 'e found out a'bout us. He w'as like 'Oh no! As if those two cats weren't enough trouble already! Now these kittens will bring about double trouble!'"

Everybody laughed at that joke, and then resumed having their dinner without another word about whose dinner it had actually belonged to just twenty minutes earlier.

A few hours later, say after eleven o'clock, Skimbleshanks standing at the entrance to the junkyard. He was waiting patiently for Mistoffelees to arrive so that they could travel down to the station together.

After a few minutes, Skimble took his pocket watch out and gazed at the time. In all the years he had been involved in the train service, he had never been late for the train's departure. He had no intention of ruining his record of perfect punctuality.

_Five more minutes and I'm leaving without him_ Skimble thought to himself. But sure enough, Mistoffelees appeared a moment later and asked the Railway Cat "Are you ready to get going, Skimble?"

"As ready as I'll ever be." Skimble nodded. The two toms made their way to the station. Once there, Skimble stopped Mistoffelees at the entrance and told him "Wait."

"What is it?" inquired the magician.

"Do you hear that?"

Quaxo listened to all that was around him. He couldn't hear anything out of the ordinary. He turned to Skimble and asked him "Hear what?"

Skimble slowly approached the Night Mail and answered Quaxo with "There's a whisper down the line."

Quaxo looked at the clock on the wall; then he looked back at Skimble and asked him "At 11:39?"

"Yes, the Night Mail's ready to depart." the orange tom answered.

Suddenly, Misto heard the whisper. It went "Skimble, where is Skimble? Has he gone to hunt the thimble? We must find him or the train can't start!"

Sure enough, all the guards and all the porters and the station master's daughters were searching high and low, saying "Skimble, where is Skimble? Unless he's very nimble, then the Night Mail just can't go."

Quaxo and Skimble got into the luggage van, where the latter began to prepare for his shift. Misto looked back at the clock and told the Railway Cat "Skimble, it's 11:42!"

"Then the signals overdue!" Skimble shouted. The two of them quickly made their way to the passenger cars in the train. The passengers were frantic to a man. But Skimble soon appeared and he sauntered to the rear. Everyone sighed in relief. Skimble hadn't been absent; he'd simply been busy in the luggage van.

Then he gave a flash of his glass green eyes and the signal went "All-clear."

Skimble turned to Mistoffelees and told him "Hold on, Misto! We're off at last for the northern part of the Northern Hemisphere!"

Then the train departed from the station.

A short time later, a pair of ominous, malicious eyes penetrated a spot of darkness in a deserted part of the junkyard. One of the eyes was blue and the other was green. The sight of those eyes in the dark was enough to take the most fearless soldier's breath away. However, no one in the entire tribe noticed the eyes.

Slowly, the eyes began to approach the inhabited part of the junkyard. They slowly ascended a large junk pile, and gazed over the top of it.

On the ground below, the eyes watched as Victoria and her three friends walked across the center of the junkyard. A moment later, they were joined by Demeter.

"How are the four of you doing?" she asked them.

"We're doing just fine, Mom." Electra answered.

Demeter smiled at her daughter and her three friends. But almost immediately after that, she froze in her tracks.

"Mom?" Electra placed her paw on her mother's shoulder. "Mom, what is it?"

Demeter looked to the top of a large pile of junk. That was the same pile of junk where the starring blue eye and green eye had been just a few seconds earlier. But they were not there anymore.

Demeter came back to reality and looked at Electra.

"It's nothing, sweetheart." She assured her daughter. "It's just that… I was feeling rather odd a moment ago. I feel fine now."

Electra said "That's good to know." She turned to her friends and told them "I'm going to go to bed."

"Okay, see you in the morning, 'Lec." said Victoria.

Unbeknownst to anyone, the eyes had reappeared at the top of the junk pile. They focused on Victoria's lower belly, and noticed how it was sticking slightly outwards.

The eyes seemed to grow even fiercer then before; cold hard malevolence was strongly building up in them.

Before the eyes disappeared, the following words came out of their owner's mouth: "I will see to it that I become a part of my grandchildren's lives this time. And no one will stop me from taking matters into my own hands."


	4. Tales Of The Past

Back on the Night Mail, Skimbleshanks and Mistoffelees were walking down the center of one of the passenger cars. Most of the seats were unoccupied, as the majority of the people on the train had gone to their cabins to sleep. Few people stayed up very late on the Night Mail during that time of year.

Skimble, being the observant cat he was, kept his eye out for any troublemakers. People could play no pranks with Skimbleshanks; for he was a cat that could not be ignored.

Nothing ever went wrong on the train when Skimbleshanks was aboard.

After Skimble completed his patrol, he and Mistoffelees traveled to the front car and sat near the engineers.

Skimble helped himself to a cup of tea laced with a single drop of scotch. He offered Quaxo a glass, but Quaxo politely declined.

Skimble took a swig of his tea and said "Now that we're settled in, I may as well start providing you with the advice you wanted. Is there any topic in general you'd like to discuss about fatherhood?"

"Well, first I would like to know about your first impression on the subject." said Misto. "How did it go for you when Rumpleteazer was born?"

"Well, Jenny needed a little time to recover from the birthing process." Skimble recounted. "You see, she had been in labor for hours. And after Rumpleteazer finally... 'came out,' Jenny was physically exhausted. So for the first few days, I was doing almost all of the work. But I was incredibly proud to be a father."

"I can imagine how proud you were." said Misto. He asked Skimble half-serious, half-joking "Did you know at the time that your mate had just given birth to London's greatest female thief?"

"No, I didn't, but I could infer that she was a bit of a troublemaker from the start," Skimble answered, "She never really took up stealing until Mungojerrie came along."

"Well, between you and me, I'm glad the tribe took him in," said Quaxo.

"Despite the fact that he was once involved with-" Skimble began.

"Please, don't talk about that," Quaxo interrupted.

"Alright," Skimble agreed. He quickly changed the subject "Do you have any idea of how many kittens you are expecting?"

Quaxo answered "Well, based on the rate of growth of Victoria's abdomen, I can infer that she is pregnant with more than one kitten."

"In that case, let's just hope she handles the birthing process better than her mother did." Skimble chuckled. Misto joined in with him.

Skimble talked to Misto for a few more minutes about fatherhood. Their conversation was cut short a few minutes later. The train made one of its routine stops at Crewe. Most of the train's occupants were fast asleep at Crewe, so they never knew that there he was walking up and down the station.

They were still sleeping all the while he was busy at Carlisle when he met the station master with elation.

After that, the two toms talked long into the night until the train had made its full course and was on its way back home. Skimble gave the remaining passengers a wave of his long brown tail which said he'd see them again. They would meet without fail on the Midnight Mail, for he was the cat of the Railway Train.

Skimble and Misto made their way back to the junkyard. Almost everyone was asleep. The only ones who were not asleep were Jennyanydots, Alonzo, and Pouncival. Jenny was always awake on the nights when Skimble came home early. She saw them as something for both of them to look forward to. Alonzo and Pouncival were both on patrol duty. So far that night, they had found nothing out of the ordinary.

Misto crept quietly into his den and found Victoria asleep on the bed. He took a moment to stretch, and then lay down beside her. Misto always slept on the right side of the bed and Victoria always slept on the left side. When Misto came in that night, Victoria had been sleeping on her side, her face turned away from the center of the bed. Misto got on his side directly behind Victoria and placed his paw over her protruding belly. Then he kissed her on the cheek and whispered into her ear "I love you."

He quickly fell asleep in that position with his paw over her abdomen.

The next day was in most regards a normal one. After all the cats ate breakfast at their usual times, Jellylorum and Jennyanydots taught the youngest kittens in the tribe a classic Jellicle poem, Rum Tum Tugger made frequent appearances in front of his fan club, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer (with the help of their sons and their daughter) robbed an unfortunate pedestrian walking near the junkyard, and Asparagus helped his father, Gus the Theater Cat, settle down and tell the kittens a story of his past career in acting.

In fact, the only real difference came about late at night.

Specifically, it happened at 11:00. About half of the cats had gone to sleep. The rest were spending their time outside. Mistoffelees, Victoria, Jemima, Tumblebrutus, Admetus, Electra, Etcetera, and Plato were all stargazing. The eight of them were lying flat on their backs and focusing on the nighttime sky, keeping their eyes out for familiar constellations.

"I think that one is Orion." Plato pointed to a certain cluster of stars with his paw. "You see how it is shaped like a giant geoglyph warrior?"

"Yes, it certainly is shaped so." Jemima agreed. "I think the warrior is supposed to be of either Greek or Roman origin. If I were to venture a guess, I would say he is Greek."

"So if that's Orion, then that must be Monoceros." Etcetera pointed to a small group of stars closer to Orion.

"The one that bears a certain resemblance to a unicorn?" inquired Admetus.

"Yes, that's the one." Electra agreed. "The stars are positioned correctly for it."

"So, that means that the one just under it is Canis Major." Tumblebrutus concluded.

Victoria groaned in disgust. "Don't remind me. I really don't like constellations that are said to resemble dogs."

"We know, sweetie; none of us do." Misto was lying right next to his mate. He patted her on the shoulder with his paw and returned his attention to the sky. "Isn't that Lepus right there?"

"If you are referring to the one shaped like a rabbit, then I do believe you're right, Quaxo." Electra agreed.

The eight of them continued stargazing for a long time. Unnoticed to the any of the cats, more than a dozen feet in the air, the same spiteful mismatched eyes had returned. They were right at the top of the same junk pile as the previous night. The eyes focused on the eight cats who were stargazing at that time. The eyes barely blinked and expressed no emotions other than detestation and odium.

A few moments later, Misto and the other seven cats were joined by Demeter. Soon, the eyes were feeling emotions other than hatred and spite. They were also feeling interest, and even a small amount of nervousness.

The eight cats on the ground smiled at Demeter as she approached them. She smiled back at them. Electra looked up at her mother and said "Come to join us, Mom?"

"As long as none of you has any objections." Demeter answered.

"Of course not, Demeter," said Misto, "you're always welcome to stargaze with us."

There were murmurs of agreement all around. Demeter was about to lie down in-between Electra and Admetus, but she abruptly stopped herself just before she did. Then she froze in her position and did not move.

Electra looked back up at her mother and said "Mom?" When she got no response, she sat up and asked Demeter "Mom, is everything alright?"

Calling Electra's concern to attention, Tumblebrutus, Quaxo, and Jemima sat up and looked at Demeter. Pretty soon, Victoria, Admetus, Plato, and Etcetera joined in. But even then, Demeter still had not moved the slightest bit.

Electra, Misto, and Plato got up and stood near Demeter. Misto asked her "Demeter, what is it?"

Demeter slowly turned her head towards a junk pile. She daringly brought her eyes upward, focusing her attention toward the top of the pile. This time, she saw the eyes. They were staring… directly at her!

"Macavity!" she shouted.

The other eight cats looked where she was looking. Sure enough, there was the ginger cat. Knowing he had been discovered, he saw no need to hide himself any longer. Macavity let out an evil cackle and disappeared behind the junk pile.

Demeter turned to Electra and told her "Get your father, quickly!"

Electra nodded and went to find Munkustrap. Plato, not wanting his mate to go anywhere on her own, accompanied her.

The rest of the cats scattered in all directions and hid. Victoria and Quaxo were the only two who remained outside with Demeter. She turned to them and said "You must hide too. Something tells me that you're the reason Macavity is here."

"What makes you think that?" said Misto.

"Yes, why do you think we are the reason, Dem?" asked Victoria.

"Well, not you specifically," Demeter corrected herself, gesturing towards Victoria's belly.

The color seemed to drain from Quaxo's face. He had just recalled the threat that his father had made when Alonzo's kittens had been born. Evidently, it was clear that he had every intention of going through with that threat.

"What about you, Dem?" he asked his aunt. "We can't just leave you out here all on your own."

"I'll only be alone for a few moments." said Demeter. "Munkustrap will be along shortly."

"Dem, the penultimate time Macavity revealed himself instead of merely stalking us, he tried to kidnap you." Victoria recalled.

"And it was Munkustrap who stopped him from succeeding." Demeter pointed out. "I know Munk; he'd never let his brother kidnap me. Don't worry about me; worry about yourselves and your unborn kittens."

Knowing that they didn't have time to debate, Misto and Victoria nodded and retreated to their den. A few moments later, Electra returned with Munkustrap, Alonzo, and Asparagus.

Misto and Victoria made sure to barricade the entrance to their den. They made sure to only use movable objects, lest they wind up trapped in there.

The two of them snuggled together closely, attempting to suppress their fear about their scenario.

While they were in there, Victoria asked Quaxo "Do you know why he's doing this in the first place, Misto?"

"What do you mean, Vickie?" he asked, slightly confused by her question.

"Why is he after your kittens?" she clarified. "I mean, there must be a reason other than some matter of family business."

Quaxo thought about Victoria's hypothesis for a moment, and soon began to recall a series of events from his kittenhood that may explain why his father was after his kittens.

He explained the event to Victoria: "It may very well be the reason for why my father left the tribe. It all started a few weeks after I was born. My mother had handled Alonzo's birth very well. But for some reason, my birth seemed to have overwhelmed her. While I myself remember very little of this occasion, Alonzo can vividly recall almost all of it. Based on what he told me, after my birth, my mother became very weak. She felt weak for about three months after this. One day, she decided to go on a walk in an effort to make the pain go away. On that walk, she was attacked by a group of Pollicles. My father rescued her and tried to save her, but in the end, she died about three months after my birth."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Quaxo," said his mate sympathetically, stroking his cheek compassionately, "What happened after that?"

"Well, my Dad stayed in his den alone for days after this." Misto recalled. "Then one day, he asked me to speak with him in his den. I assumed that it was going to be something regarding my training with my magic- as both he and I can do magic and he taught me how to control my abilites- anyway, what happened next, I can still remember."

Victoria gasped, putting her paw to her mouth. Then she whispered quietly "He threatened you?"

Quaxo nodded. Then he continued "I tried to convince myself that he was just very upset and traumatized by the death of my mother and that things would get better in time. Was I ever wrong."

Victoria listened as her mate described the events "My Dad blamed me for the death of my mother. It then became clear to me that he was going to kill me. And he would have succeeded had Alonzo not been there. Alonzo stood up for me and defended me against our father. A fight emerged, and Alonzo and Munkustrap ended up driving my father away. As you know, a few months later, my Dad had killed all the Pollicles that had attacked my mother. It was then that we discovered just how much he had changed. The kind and gentle cat I had first known my father to have been originally was completely gone. An entirely new, sinisterly wicked cat had replaced him."

Suddenly, everything seemed to make a lot more sense to Victoria. She said "So, you believe that your father turned evil because he blames you for the death of your mother?"

"It would seem that way." Quaxo nodded. "Hence, that's where I get my theory for why he's after my- our- kittens: he believes I deprived him of his mate, who was the most important thing in his life because she died shortly after giving birth to me. Now, his vindictive side has resurfaced and he has plans to deprive you and I of what will become the most important things to us."

Victoria looked down at her lower stomach. She placed her paw on it and looked back up at Misto. She whispered in a terrified voice "Our kittens…?"

Misto nodded silently "My father won't rest until he has the kittens."

Victoria looked as if she was on the verge of tears. Misto comforted her as best he could. Then he made her a promise: He would let nothing separate either of them from their kittens. He would fight to keep both them and their mother safe, no matter what it took to keep his father away from them.


	5. A New Threat Arises

About an hour passed from the time when Demeter had discovered Macavity's presence in the junkyard. Mistoffelees and Victoria had remained snuggled up together in their den for the whole time. During the time, they barely spoke at all. However, Victoria recalled the events of the prior night when she had felt one of her kittens move inside of her. She decided to tell Quaxo about the experience. Naturally, he was thrilled and wanted to know every detail of it. Victoria went ahead and described as best as she could remember it. Oddly enough, talking about the matter seemed to help them forget all the tension regarding the danger that was presently lurking in the junkyard at the time.

Finally, after an hour had passed, someone knocked on the door at the entrance of their den. Quaxo and Victoria abruptly stopped talking and turned towards the entryway. They heard a voice say from the other side "Mistoffelees? Victoria? It's me."

To their relief, they recognized the voice as Alonzo's. Quaxo approached the entrance to the den and starting moving all the objects blocking the entryway aside. Once he was finished, he let his brother inside.

"Are you alright?" Alonzo concernedly asked Misto and his mate.

"We're fine." Victoria answered. "Just a little shaky."

"That's understandable." said Alonzo, shivering. "We managed to chase Dad away. We pursued him to the edge of the junkyard. Though, I have to say, I'm just glad he only shows up every once in a while instead of on a daily basis."

"You and me both." said Mistoffelees. "But I fear that he is deadly serious about his threat."

"What threat?" asked the white and black blotched cat.

"You know…" Misto made a gesture with his head towards his mate.

Alonzo put his paw on his little brother's shoulder and smiled at him. He assured him "Don't worry, Misto. We won't let him near Victoria or the kits."

Quaxo simply looked at Alonzo and nodded his head. He had always trusted his brother, and with the exceptions of Munkustrap and Old Deuteronomy, he was the one cat he had always been able to rely on.

Alonzo stayed around to help them get their den back in order. Once everything had been returned to its proper place, Alonzo left, giving them some privacy. Shortly after he left, Victoria and Mistoffelees went to bed.

Another month passed by. On a side note, Macavity had not returned to the junkyard throughout the course of that entire month, much to the delight of the entire junkyard, primarily Victoria and Mistoffelees.

Mistoffelees and Victoria spent the four weeks of that month reorganizing their den in preparation for the kittens' arrival. Once they had refurbished their den, they decided to discuss who would be the midwife in the birthing process. In the past, it was usually Jennyanydots who delivered any kittens when they were born. But she had expressed that she did not feel entirely comfortable delivering these kittens specifically, as they were her grandchildren and her daughter was the kittens' mother.

So they decided that Jellylorum would deliver the kittens and Jenny would be standing by as her assistant in the birthing process. She would also be there to help Quaxo provide Victoria with some moral support and to keep her focused.

everything seemed to be happening so fast to Victoria; in two more weeks or less, she would be having her kittens.

Many of the cats were very excited. Old Deuteronomy was one in particular who was looking forward to the event itself, and it was not simply because the kittens happened to be his great-grandchildren. He just always treasured the times when the tribe received new members.

Victoria had managed to control her morning sickness, as well as her odd food cravings. The only thing that really bothered her was her occasional dizziness.

However, there was one more notably significant thing that happened during the seventh week: Macavity showed up for the first time in a month. On this appearance, he presented another threat. This threat was directly related to his prior threat, but it was even more unsettling and horrific than the first one.

It happened just after the sun had set. All the kittens had been put in bed. The adult cats were all outside talking with each other. Munkustrap and Demeter had been on a count talking with each other when Demeter's expression had abruptly frozen in position. Munkustrap had seen that expression so many times earlier that he knew right away what was wrong.

"He's here, isn't he?" Munk asked his mate.

She nodded and gazed around the center of the junkyard. Finally, she shouted "Macavity!" and pointing directly at the top of a nearby junk pile.

All the cats turned towards that specific junk pile and saw Macavity at the top. He rose to his full height and bellowed in his sinister voice "Hear me, Jellicles! Hear my announcement, as I shall say it once and never repeat it!"

Everyone paid close attention as Macavity went on: "Did you think I had forgotten about the claim I made so long ago? If you have, you should know that I never forget anything I say! I fully intend to become a part of my grandchildren's lives. Simultaneously I shall dispossess my younger son of his most beloved possession, the way he dispossessed me of mine!"

Quaxo stood up and shouted back to Macavity "There is no way I'm going to let you hurt my kittens, father!"

Macavity gave a loud cackle and continued on "Why would I want to harm my own grandchildren? I fully intend to care for them myself, Mistoffelees. But I will ensure that you play no part in their lives!"

Here Macavity paused and glanced all around the cats on the ground below. He finished presenting his threat with the following statements: "In exactly seven days, I shall return to this place. My minions and I will come in force. And we will not leave unless Victoria leaves with us. Remember this well, for you have been warned."

Then Macavity disappeared from the junkyard once again. The cats all looked around at one another; clearly they were all afraid.

"What should we do, father?" Rum Tum Tugger asked Old Deuteronomy.

Old Deuteronomy answered this question as he would answer any question: calmly and with a note of sage. He told Tugger "We must prepare to fend off your brother and his minions, my son. For you must remember: Jellicle cats always look out for each other."

Tugger nodded and turned to everybody else. He told them "Our leader has spoken. We must prepare for whatever Macavity can throw at us!"

There was cheering in agreement all around.

The next week was one of tension and uneasiness. Every tom who had come of age was preparing for the upcoming fight against Macavity and his henchcats. A few underage toms tried to get involved in the preparations, but no one would allow them in, as there were safety concerns set for them.

Two notable examples of these underage toms were Harothenes and Sornetem, the two sons of Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. They had spent hours debating this issue with their parents.

"How many times must I say it?" Mungojerrie asked the two kittens rhetorically. "You two are not old enough to participate in this brawl."

"Dad, we want to fight, too!" Sornetem argued with his father. He turned to his mother and begged her "Mom, help us out here, please!"

"I'm sorry, Sorn; you and Haro are just too young to fight someone as vicious as Macavity or his thugs." Rumpleteazer told her elder son.

"Mom, what does age matter?" said Harothenes. "Macavity is after Victoria's kittens, and they're not even born yet! Macavity won't care what age we are; he's willing to fight anyone in his way!"

Most of the time, Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer were not very serious at all. However, their children's safety meant more to them than anything, even their reputation in stealing. Keeping their family safe was one topic that they could most definitely be classified as good role models in.

"Haro, listen to me." Mungo looked his elder son directly in the eyes. "I want you to go with Sorn, Nora, and your mother back to our den. I want you to stay with them while I'm out fighting with the rest of the toms."

"But Dad-" Harothenes began.

"No 'buts.'" said Mungo. "I'm counting on you to look after them during the fight."

There was silence for a few moments. Then Harothenes said quietly "Alright, Dad. I'll protect them. You can trust me."

Mungo smiled at him and told him "I know I can."

The toms had prepared themselves to confront Macavity and his minions. They had been divided up into four different trios. Trio one was composed of Munkustrap, Tumblebrutus, and Admetus. Trio two was composed of Alonzo, Plato, and Mungojerrie. Trio three was composed of Skimbleshanks, Pouncival, and Asparagus. Trio four was composed of Rum Tum Tugger, Coricopat, and Mistoffelees.

Old Deuteronomy and his younger brother, Bustopher Jones, would be directing the battle from the top of the tallest junk pile in the entire junkyard. The toms who were either too old or too young to fight would be staying with the queens in various dens. Victoria would be staying in Alonzo's den during the battle with Cassandra, Lomfer, and Watlina.

Finally, the seven days had gone by. It was the beginning of the final week of Victoria's pregnancy.

Everyone prepared for what could be classified as the fight of the decade, if not the fight of a lifetime. The twelve toms stood in their groups and waited patiently for Macavity to arrive with his minions. Quaxo, more than anyone else, was prepared for anything his father had in store. His love for Victoria and their unborn kittens would certainly be enough to keep strong throughout the battle.


	6. The Skirmish Of The Jellicles

Hours went by. The toms all waited anxiously for Macavity to arrive.

By the time the sun set, Macavity still had not shown up. Some of the cats were starting to wish that he would just come; the tension was almost unbearable for them.

Munkustrap and Rum Tum Tugger were in position in close proximity to each other. The former could see that the latter was somewhat trembling where he stood.

Calling this to attention, Munkustrap walked over to his younger brother and asked him "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Tugger sighed, looking up at Munkustrap. "I'm just a little nervous."

"So am I," said Munkustrap. "Knowing Macavity and his enduring resilience, this will probably be the biggest brawl since the Awful Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles."

"It may be even bigger than that." Tugger theorized. He sighed again and told Munkustrap "You know, there are times when I wish Mom was here."

"I can relate to how you feel," Munk admitted, "I miss her, too. I actually think that it's a bit of a shame that she went to the Heaviside Lair right after she was reaccepted into the tribe."

"Yeah, it makes me wish that we never denied her request to come back." said Tugger.

"Oh, well," Munkustrap sighed, "at least she's been reborn into a new Jellicle life."

"That certainly is a positive view," Tugger admitted, "But all the same, I miss her."

"I know; I miss her, too." said Munk. "But she was able to redeem herself. I can only hope that she forgave us for rejecting her."

The sun had set at around seven o'clock that night. Jellylorum and Jennyanydots brought the toms a light dinner; as they told them that they needed to keep their strength up to be ready for the fight. The toms did not want to get out of their positions, but they knew that Jelly and Jenny were right, so they took some time to eat.

Demeter was the only other queen who was outside at the moment. As she was the only one who could sense Macavity's presence, she played a critical role in alerting the toms when Macavity arrived.

Finally, he came.

The time in question was just after eight o'clock. At that time, Demeter once again froze and announced to the toms "He's here!"

Jenny and Jelly gathered up the remnants of the food and retreated back to their dens. Munkustrap went over to his mate while all the toms got back into position. He told her "Look after Electra during the battle. I'll see both of you when this is over."

She grinned up at him and said "I know you will." They pecked each other on the lips and Demeter went to their den where Electra was waiting.

Munkustrap got to his post and waited with the others. Old Deuteronomy instructed all of them "Keep your eyes open for anything."

The toms soon heard something approaching them from a huge junk pile in front of them. Slowly, a messed-up red and gold mane started to appear on top of the pile. This was followed up by a horrific red face and a red-and-gold checkered torso. Macavity had revealed himself.

Macavity slowly rose to his full height and gave a terribly wicked cackle. Then he looked down at the toms on the ground below. He told them "I know that you are all preparing to fight me and stop me from kidnapping Victoria. You should know that you cannot stop me, so, I'll offer you a compromise. If you hand over Victoria, I will leave peacefully. I can assure you that none of you will be harmed if you agree to this."

Mistoffelees stood up and shouted in outrage "I'd sooner hand myself over to you, father! If your conflict is with me, then take me instead!"

Macavity let out another evil cackle and responded with "A very appealing offer, Mistoffelees, but it is insufficient. Either hand over Victoria, or I will take her by force."

"My son, there is one thing you have forgotten since you left the Jellicle Tribe," Old Deuteronomy spoke out to his youngest son, "and that is that Jellicle cats never betray their friends for their own benefit. We will never hand Victoria over to you; not now, not ever!"

From down below, there came cheers of concurrence from the toms.

Macavity scowled terribly and said "So be it." He raised his front legs in the air and all of his henchcats appeared on either side of him. They outnumbered the toms on the ground almost 3:1. Their boss crouched down next to them and instructed them "Do all the damage you wish to this place and its inhabitants. But remember: we are here to take the white cat with us. She must be unharmed. Is that clear?"

The servile henchcats all nodded to answer their boss. Macavity looked back down at the Jellicles and shouted at the top of his voice "Attack!"

All but four of the henchcats started scaling down the junk pile. When they were halfway down, they lunged at the cats on the ground below.

Munkustrap grabbed one of the henchcats in midflight and held him by the neck. Holding onto him with both hands, he threw the henchcat at a broken television set. The henchcat flew directly through the screen and lay still inside the set.

Two more henchcats were trying to attack Pouncival and Tumblebrutus. But they, being the agile cats they were, dodged every single blow with either a back flip or a cartwheel. Finally, Pounce and Tumble ran partially up the side of one junk pile and dived at the two henchcats. They were upon them so quickly that they caught the henchcats off their guard. A moment later, Tumble and Pounce were doing a series of cartwheels and somersaults away from the two injured henchcats.

Skimbleshanks and Asparagus were two of the oldest toms present at the fight; yet they impressed several of the younger cats with their fighting style.

As one henchcat ran towards Skimble from behind, the Railway Cat took out his watch and loudly said "Let's see… what time is it?" A moment later, when the henchcat was almost upon him, Skimble said "Ah, yes!" Then he whipped around, brought his free front paw back behind his head, and slugged the henchcat directly on his muzzle. The henchcat dropped to the ground, gripping his mouth with both hands. As Skimble lowered his paw, he jovially answered his own question: "It's time for you to lie down for a little nap!"

Now Asparagus, who was as agile as his sons Tumblebrutus and Pouncival, was moving too fast for any of the henchcats to grab him. One of the henchcats in particular had concentrated all his focus on Asparagus alone. He was delivering many fierce blows, but Asparagus managed to dash away from every single one of them. Eventually, the henchcat exhausted himself and stopped to catch his breath. Asparagus took advantage of the moment to knock him off his feet. The henchcat was too tired to even think about getting up.

From above, Old Deuteronomy and Bustopher Jones were watching the battle closely. It was going very well for the Jellicles, even though they were outnumbered. Bustopher noticed a few henchcats near the base of the junk pile who were trying to sneak up on Mungojerrie and Coricopat. However, they did not seem to notice that Bustopher and Old Deuteronomy were directly above them.

"I'll be right back." he told Old Deuteronomy. He climbed halfway down the junk pile. Then he jumped off the junk pile and landed on one of the unsuspecting henchcats on the ground below. A sudden yelp indicated that the henchcat had lost consciousness. Bustopher saw another henchcat charging towards him. He just calmly held onto his spoon with both hands, raised it behind his head, and waited for a few seconds. When the henchcat approached him, he swung his spoon vigorously, shouting "Fore!"

He had clubbed the henchcat across the face. The henchcat clutched his head and collapsed in agony. Bustopher drolly said "Oops, sorry. I didn't see you there. But I did say 'fore,' after all!"

Macavity could tell that his minions were desperately losing the fight. He turned to the four cats that had remained with him and told them "Come with me. We'll find Victoria ourselves."

The five of them started scaling down the junk pile. Once they reached the bottom, they headed towards the den which Macavity knew to be the one Victoria and Misto shared together.

Misto spotted his father and the four henchcats, but made no move to pursue them, as he knew something they did not know: Victoria wasn't in their den.

Macavity was outraged when he discovered this. Nevertheless, he was not going to give up the search so easily. He decided to look in Alonzo's den next. Mistoffelees immediately took note of this and called over anyone who was close to him. Rum Tum Tugger, Plato, Admetus, and Alonzo came to his assistance. "We have to stop them!" he told his friends. The others nodded and they all went after Macavity and the four henchcats.

Inside Alonzo's den, Cassandra was preparing herself to defend Victoria and her kittens alone, even though the odds were stacked highly against her. Lomfer and Watlina were in the other room with Victoria. Both of them were very frightened. Their mother had done her best to comfort them, but to little avail.

After a few attempts, Macavity's minions broke down the door and stormed into the den. Cassandra was hiding in the shadows with an old porcelain lamp in her paws. When the first of the four henchcats passed her, she broke the lamp over his head. He groaned and fell to the ground.

Two of the other three henchcats quickly overpowered Cassandra and pinned her on the ground. Macavity and the remaining cat started searching through the room.

A moment later, Alonzo appeared in the doorway and shouted "Get your filthy paws off my mate, you scumbags!" Then he, Tugger, Plato, Admetus, and Quaxo entered the den.

Macavity gave the remaining minion a signal to attack. The minion went for Rum Tum Tugger, who proved to be more than a match for him. Plato and Admetus approached the other two henchcats and forced them off of Cassandra.

Once she was free, Cassandra ran over to Alonzo and asked him "What must I do now?"

"Get Victoria, Lomfer, and Watlina out of here." Alonzo told him mate. "Take them to your sister's den. Misto, you accompany her."

Cassandra and Misto nodded at the suggestion. However, because Tugger, Plato, and Admetus were busy fighting the henchcats, that left only Alonzo to fight Macavity.

The white and black blotched cat faced his father. He suddenly had a flashback from the Jellicle Ball of ten months prior. That was the night when Macavity had kidnapped Old Deuteronomy and had attempted to kidnap Demeter as well. Munkustrap and Alonzo were the only two who had fought Macavity before the tribe drove him away. Alonzo had been thrown around like a worn-out ragdoll during the fight and he had emerged with worse injuries than his uncle. But that experience aside, he was willing to receive worse injuries if it meant he could keep his brother's mate and kittens safe.

"Alonzo, you are my elder son," said Macavity, "I have already been forced to fight you once in the past. I have no desire to fight you again. Please, step aside."

"I will not," Alonzo replied sternly. "I'm afraid you will have to take me down first, father."

Macavity muttered under his breath "Very well." Then he started fighting his son in his own den.

While Alonzo and Macavity fought, Quaxo and Cassandra snuck into the adjoining room and alerted Lomfer, Watlina, and Victoria. They snuck out of the den quietly and started making their way to Exotica's den.

Soon, Alonzo had been defeated by his father. Macavity ran out of the den and spotted Victoria with the others. He was about to purse them when someone grabbed him from behind. He soon realized it was Rum Tum Tugger. As they fought, Macavity ordered some of the other henchcats to pursue Victoria. Six henchcats made Victoria their primary target and ran after her.

Old Deuteronomy spotted them and called out to his grandson "Mistoffelees, behind you!"

Quaxo turned around and saw the six henchcats charging towards him. They were running directly towards his mate.

Misto suddenly felt a twist of inexplicable rage building up inside him. He raised his paw in the air and shot a bolt of lightning out of it. It struck one of the approaching henchcats in the stomach and sent him flying about fifteen feet in the opposite direction.

Several of the cats were alarmed at what they just saw. Mistoffelees had never used his magic for violence before. In fact, as far as anyone knew, he had never harmed another living thing in his life.

Misto raised his other paw and fired another bolt of lightning. This bolt struck another of the cats in the chest, causing him to drop to the ground in pain. The other four continued to run towards Victoria, but all of them were quickly neutralized by Misto.

Meanwhile, Macavity had defeated Rum Tum Tugger. He glared across the battlefield towards his son, who had taken out six of his minions in less than a minute. Macavity pulled one of his henchcats aside and told him "Get everybody out of here. I will handle this myself."

The henchcat nodded and went to gather up his accomplices. The grand majority of them were either unconscious or wounded. However, the Jellicles allowed the uninjured conscious cats to gather up their colleagues and leave. As the henchcats retreated, the Jellicles cheered. But victory had not been achieved just yet.

Before Cassandra and the others could progress much further, they were stopped by Macavity. The ginger cat was angrier than he had ever been in his life, which was really saying something there. Mistoffelees turned around and faced his father.

Munkustrap was about to approach Macavity, but was quickly stopped by Old Deuteronomy.

"No," said the Jellicle leader as he stopped his eldest son, "This is something Mistoffelees must handle on his own."

Munkustrap nodded and reluctantly stood away from his brother and nephew.

It was at that moment that Macavity saw just how much Quaxo had grown up in his absence. He was no longer a docile tuxedo kitten. Now he was a protective, strongly-built tuxedo cat.

Mistoffelees just grinned as he faced his father and said "You know, Dad, there's a new trick I've been working on for my next performance. Perhaps you would like to see it."

Macavity was confused by what his son was implying. But soon he clarified what he meant when he demonstrated the trick.

Misto brought his front paws together and held them over his head. A huge ball of lightning was building up in-between them and started to increase in size. When the ball was the size of a baseball (which was about the size of a bowling ball to cats in terms of scale), Misto glanced at his father and said "Now you see him..." Then he threw his arms forward, hurling the bolt directly towards Macavity. The ginger cat was hit directly on the chest. The force of the bolt's impact send Macavity flying fifty feet away from his son. He landed on the top of one of the junk piles.

Mistoffelees finished with "Now you don't!"

Macavity soon got back onto his feet and brushed himself off. Then he looked back down towards the Jellicles on the ground and glared menacingly at them. He announced "Very well! Mistoffelees, you may have your kittens and you may be part of their lives. But mark my words- I will get them eventually!"

And with that, Macavity disappeared from the junkyard. The Jellicles all cheered at their well-earned victory.

Misto and Victoria hugged each other lovingly. They were so happy for two major reasons at that time: Macavity had been driven away, and in just one week, they would become parents.


	7. A Family Is Formed

All of the Jellicles had survived the battle. However, most of the toms that had fought in it were wounded. But none of them had received life-threatening injuries.

Bustopher Jones was one of the few that was not wounded. He had personally enjoyed himself, but he was exhausted. However, being as "remarkably fat" and out of shape as he was, that was expected for someone like him.

Mistoffelees was just satisfied with knowing that he had driven his father away. He must have actually intimidated his father, otherwise Macavity would not have let him off so easily.

Regardless of all of that, the aura around the tribe was blissful once again, and the Jellicle Tribe celebrated their victory against Macavity and his henchcats.

One week later, the big day finally arrived.

Mistoffelees woke up on Sunday morning to the feel of Victoria lightly shaking him. He drowsily asked her "What is it, Vickie?"

She spoke softly "Quaxo, it's time."

Misto had been half-asleep at that time. But he immediately became wide-awake.

"You stay here, I'll get Jellylorum." he stood up, ran out of the den, and scurried on over to Jelly's den. After a very brief explanation, Jelly went back to Quaxo's den with him. Together, they helped Victoria make her way back to Jellylorum's den.

Jelly told Misto to bring Jennyanydots over. He ran as fast as his four legs could carry him to Jenny's den and returned to Jelly's place with both Jenny and Skimbleshanks.

They had Victoria lie on the spare bed in Jellylorum's room. Jenny gestured for silence, and then she ran her hands over her daughter's nine-week pregnant belly. After a moment of feeling around, she announced "There's no doubt about it; this is it."

Misto placed his front paw on Jenny's shoulder and said "So she's going into labor?"

Jenny smiled and told him "She's been in labor for hours, Quaxo. She just did not realize it."

Misto nodded. He turned to the bed and leaned over to Victoria, who was still lying on the bed. He whispered into her ear "I'll be just outside the den if you need me."

She nodded, smiled up at him, and murmured "I love you."

He kissed her and said "I love you, too."

Then he and Skimble left the den, leaving Victoria alone with Jelly and Jenny.

Misto made a vow that he would not move more than five feet away from the entrance to Jelly's den until she or Jenny came out to let him in. He would not even move from that spot to get himself food, so Skimble went to get breakfast for both of them.

Word spread quickly through the junkyard that Victoria was in labor. Many of the cats came up to Misto to wish him "Good luck." After a while, Misto muttered to himself "They should be telling Vickie 'good luck.' After all, she's the one who'll need it."

Skimble returned a few minutes later with their breakfast. At first they ate quietly, but further into the meal, Skimble started a conversation.

"How does this make you feel, Quaxo?" he asked.

"Well, I'm a little nervous." Misto answered. He was actually very, very nervous, but he wasn't ready to admit it. "I hope that Victoria will be able to handle the birthing process."

"I'm sure she will." Skimble grinned, taking a sip of his famous Tea-With-A-Drop-Of-Scotch concoction.

"Though I must say, I find myself envying human males." Misto admitted. "I envy them for how they are allowed to be present with their mates when they gave birth."

"That's their norm, not ours." Skimble pointed out.

"Well, there's no arguing with that." Misto agreed. "But I still wish I could be with Victoria right now."

The two of them resumed eating.

About an hour of almost uninterrupted silence went by. Then, they started hearing Victoria's screams from inside Jellylorum's den. Skimble looked at Misto and told him "It's started."

After an agonizing three-hour wait, Jenny opened the door to the den. Quaxo immediately stood up and turned to her. She smiled at him and said "Come on in and see them, Quaxo. Oh, they're so beautiful!"

Mistoffelees hurried through the entrance to Jelly's den and approached the spare bed. He saw Victoria lying on it. Her abdomen had returned to its former size. There were four small kittens lying at her sides. Each of them was meowing softly. Victoria looked up at her mate and smiled at him.

Jenny and Skimble helped their daughter sit up on the bed. Mistoffelees approached her, picked up two of the kittens and held them in his arms. One of them was a black tom with white blotches all over his body. The other was a queen who was white on half of her body and black on the other half.

He looked back at the bed and saw Victoria cradling the other two kittens in her arms. One of them was a tom with a mostly-black upper body and a mostly-white lower body. The last one was a queen that was almost completely white, like her mother. But her face and muzzle were black.

Mistoffelees gazed sweetly at his mate and asked her "What have you named them?"

Quaxo had decided a long time to let Victoria come up with names for all the kittens.

"Do you remember the night we were stargazing six weeks ago?" she asked him.

"You mean the night when I told you my history regarding my father?" asked Mistoffelees.

"Yes, that is the night." she nodded. "I remember three of the constellations we spotted in the sky that night. I thought they suit our three eldest kittens best."

She patted the half-black, half-white tom on the head and told Mistoffelees "This tom is the eldest of the four. I noticed how strongly-built he seems to be, sort of like a Greek warrior. I decided to name him Orion."

Next, she pointed out the half-white, half-black queen that Misto held in his arms. Victoria explained "The queen you're holding is the second eldest. Shortly after she came out, she was cuddling close to me, as if she never wanted to let go. She was so adorable and innocent, like a unicorn. So I named her Monoceros."

Victoria gestured to the black tom with the white blotches and informed her mate "The tom you have in your arms is the second youngest. We discovered that he was the one I felt moving inside of me all those weeks ago. Almost right after he came out, he was trying to jump around, like a rabbit. I gave him the name Lepus."

Mistoffelees nodded in approval at his mate's decisions. He looked over at the white queen with the black face and muzzle in Victoria's arms. After that, he asked her "What about her? What is her name?"

Victoria looked at their youngest kitten and then she looked back up at her mate, and answered his question "Elizabeth."

"What does her name signify?" inquired Quaxo.

"Well, as you know, I share the same name as one of England's most famous rulers: Queen Victoria." Victoria enlightened him. "I figured that it would be appropriate to name her after another of England's memorable rulers."

"That sounds reasonable." Misto gave another nod of agreement. He sat down next to his mate on the spare bed and gazed at her and the newborn kittens.

"So, what do you think of them?" Victoria asked in interest.

"I love them." Mistoffelees finally broke down, but answered with honesty. "I love all of them. And I love you, too. I love all of you with all my heart."

Victoria just grinned and told her mate "We all love you, too."

Skimble, Jenny, and Jelly smiled at the new parents as they embraced each other. When they came apart, Jelly told Misto "Now would probably be a good time for you to let Victoria and the kittens get some rest, Quaxo."

Misto reluctantly agreed. He wanted to spend every moment with Victoria and the kittens, but he knew that they needed their rest. Victoria soon realized how tired she was. She cuddled the four kittens closely against herself and all five of them quickly drifted off to sleep.

Misto just smiled and walked out of the den, requesting that Jelly inform him when Victoria and the kittens woke up.

For the rest of the day, Mistoffelees encountered other members of the tribe who wanted to tell him congratulations on his fatherhood. As it turned out, nobody had won the poll that Tumblebrutus, Pouncival, and Electra had started near the beginning of Victoria's pregnancy. But the person who had guessed the closest outcome was Exotica. She had predicted that Victoria would have four kittens, but she had guessed that three of them would be queens and only one would be a tom.

But regardless of what the poll had led people to believe, Mistoffelees was incredibly proud to be a father. He planned to be a protective, caring, loving, and encouraging father. He planned to be a father who always looked out for his kittens. Macavity no longer posed any significant threat to him, Victoria, or the kittens.

By the end of the day, Victoria and Mistoffelees fell asleep in their den with the four kittens already fast asleep on two other beds that had been recently brought in. That was merely the first of the many nights Mistoffelees, Victoria, Orion, Monoceros, Lepus, and Elizabeth would be spending together as a family.

Well, what do you think? Review, please! I must have your opinion on this!


	8. Note From Author

Author's Note: I've started work on the sequel, but I have not started posting it on fanfiction. However, I have started a semi-prequel to it entitled "Hidden Truths Of The Hidden Paw." It explains Macavity's life story, and it provides a deeper insight on how I believe he became evil. Check it out, if you want!

By the way, feedback is always welcome here!


End file.
